Name: Ricky Gervais Is Over The Golden Globes | Letterman
Uploaded: 2023-01-10T23:19:00.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Ricky Gervais Is Over The Golden Globes | Letterman' from Letterman on Comedy Buff. Published 2023-01-10. Transcript available.

Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Ricky Gervais Is Over The Golden Globes | Letterman' from Letterman on Comedy Buff. Published 2023-01-10. Transcript available.

Our first guest, well, here's a funny guy,
and it's not a minute too soon, by the way.
A good friend of ours, he has a new HBO comedy series
entitled Life's Too Short, premieres February 19th.
Ladies and gentlemen, it's Ricky Gervais.
Nice to see you, Ricky.
Hello. How are you?
Good. Well, you've been a very busy fellow.
You were hosting the Golden Globe Sunday night in California.
And now here you are, Tuesday, back in New York City.
Thank you very much for coming back in time to be on the show.
I appreciate that.
I was getting out of town quick anyway.
Really?
Yeah.
This is your third time hosting that show?
Third time doing that and that, yeah.
21st doing this.
Is that right?
I know that means nothing to you.
No, it means a great deal to me.
It means more to me than you hosting the Golden Globes three times.
I don't know what it means to you, but for me, I'm honored.
Yeah, well.
Are you done hosting the Golden Globes?
Yeah, I think so for now.
I did it the first time because I was sort of quite flat,
and it's a huge global audience for a comedian,
and I like writing gags.
That's what I do.
I did it a second time because I thought I could improve on the first,
and I wasn't going to do it a third,
but then lots of people were saying he'd never be invited back,
so I did it to annoy them.
Just to show them.
Yeah.
Good for you.
Yeah.
And of the three, how do you rate them?
One, two, and three.
Put them on the podium.
How do you rate them?
This was my favorite because I think the audience was more receptive.
I think it took them the first two to sort of get me.
Right.
I think the last time, I just thought,
why is he saying such horrible things?
Yes, yeah.
But I think this time, they sort of understood.
They were just gags, you know?
Or they checked them at security
and checked if they got a sense of humor to get in.
I don't know, but, you know,
last year, they had a right stick up there.
Maybe they had it removed.
I don't know.
But it was great, and it was fun,
and, you know, lovely,
but I think three times is enough for anyone.
Because, I mean, of the many things you do,
hosting award shows is probably not what you'll be remembered for.
It's not my do, either.
I mean, I do that like some people play golf.
It's not part of, you know, my thing.
And win, lose, or draw, you know,
the next day, I'm writing something.
That's the fun for me, writing and creating TV shows.
But it was, you know, it was just such good fun, you know?
Well, I liked it the year before when people were outraged.
Yeah, of course.
People, they were stunned.
They couldn't believe that a guy had the courage
and the brainpower to stand up in front of famous people
and make jokes about them.
I know.
Oh, my God!
I know.
Like, it was...
Who the...
It wasn't a room full of wounded soldiers.
They were people who pretend to be someone else for a living.
You know, it was no...
Exactly.
Also, you can't care what people think,
whether they're offended or not,
because anything you say,
someone somewhere will be offended.
Oh, yeah.
And you, you know...
Yeah.
And just because you're offended doesn't mean you're right.
So, you know, who cares?
We had a woman...
We still do have a woman,
depending on what security did with her.
But we have a...
In the audience,
who had a series of questions
about your behavior on the Golden Globes.
Okay.
The references were golf,
you playing golf,
and your penis.
Does that...
Does that ring a bell?
What?
Does what ring a bell?
Yeah.
It's a good party trick.
Get me a bell,
and I'll do my best.
It is a good party trick.
There's no...
Oh, that's just Ricky.
It's got the bell out.
No hands.
No hands.
So, she's suggesting
that there was something omitted
from her version
that she didn't quite...
It did not add up.
I did say, um...
I said, uh...
The list of rules they gave me,
and I said,
no profanity, that's fine.
I've got a huge vocabulary.
And then I said,
no nudity.
Oh, that's a shame,
because I've got a huge vocabulary.
But then I...
Then I slipped in,
but a tiny penis.
Oh.
So, I did say penis.
I've said it three times tonight.
I mean, I don't know what the rules are,
but, you know...
No, no, no.
I'm the one who started it.
I don't...
Yeah, you said it.
But I thought she said something about golf.
Did you say anything about golf?
I didn't say anything about golf.
Okay, well, then...
Then, well, get her out of here, then.
But anyway, yeah, that was that,
and I got out of town,
and that's great.
Did you get drunk during the show?
Or so, you're drinking?
Yeah, slowly, gradually, yeah.
What were you drinking?
I was drinking lager.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, yeah.
And in distilled spirits,
what's your preference?
I like whiskey,
but when I'm working...
Well, see,
I only drink beer when I'm working,
like it's a soft drink.
Is that...
Remember that, kids.
That sounds...
I'm not a chauffeur,
so I can drink at work.
That's the good thing about being a comedian.
You know what?
I watched two of these shows,
The Life's Too Short.
Oh, right.
I thought they were tremendously funny.
Oh, thank you.
Cheers.
I can highlight things
that I would like to talk to you about.
One was the scene with Liam Neeson.
Very funny.
Amazing.
And then, the star,
he hires an assistant.
The young woman's name
who plays his assistant,
what's her name?
Her real name, or in the...
You pick.
Her real name's Rosamund Hanson,
and in the show, it's Cheryl.
Yeah.
And she's...
Very funny.
She's very...
She's not very bright.
No.
And he only hires her
because she's cheap,
because her parents want her
to get out of the house
till six every night.
That's right.
So, it's the worst assistant
you can have, but...
But what it did,
it gave me...
There's several scenes
with you and Stephen Merchant
in an office,
and I think it's probably
really what your life is like
in London.
It's a beautiful sort of spare,
lean, very modern,
clean space
in which you and Stephen Merchant
create.
Is that how it works?
That's exactly right.
And the joke in this show
is that we're still bothered
by everyone we've ever
worked with coming in
and saying...
Because we play ourselves
and saying,
you need more office,
you need more extras.
So, it's like,
we're trying to get on
with stuff, but we're,
you know...
And Warwick comes to us
who was in extras
and who's three foot six.
He's a dwarf.
He is a dwarf.
I think there's 300
types of dwarfism.
Is this on television,
this show?
If you...
Do you have a nickel on you?
Yes, I do.
It's...
What I like about
when I, like The Extras,
when I watched your show,
The Extras,
and then there was
the second season
of The Extras,
and now this show
and, of course,
The Office.
But in this one
in particular,
the language of the script,
the written word,
is so reminiscent
to my ear
of The Office
is what I find
very satisfying about this.
Is that just because
you are The Office
or is that something
you were trying to do?
Well, I suppose,
you know,
you return to the same themes.
It's a fake documentary
like The Office,
but I think it's moved on.
I think if The Office
reflected those
sort of quaint docu-soaps
of normal people
being famous
like David Brent,
this is more up-to-date
where people live their life
like an open wound.
You know,
those documentaries,
they just let them
do anything.
So I think it's the same
but different.
I mean, that's, yeah.
It's very funny,
as I mentioned,
and the guy,
the star,
he's broke,
his wife has divorced him
and he's gotten to work.
Exactly,
and he really is
a film star.
He was in films
like Return of the Jedi
and Willow and that,
but the joke is
that no one recognizes him
because his face
was always covered.
He's always been made up.
Exactly, yeah.
So he's trying to get back
and he's trying to do so.
So it's very funny.
He's such a physical career.
He's got such humanity.
He's just funny.
So we had to make him
like a little Hitler.
So you have to really,
to bring out the,
you know, the pain.
You made him
like a little Hitler.
Well, we,
he's sort of manipulative
and he's nasty
and he exploits other dwarfs.
He runs an agency
and he takes all the best jobs
for himself
and he hires them out
to be fired from cannons
and stuff.
So it's,
but it's,
it's about exploitation
and, you know,
of little people and stuff.
But he's,
he's very,
very facile
with the,
with the written word.
Very, you know,
he's very funny
delivering the material.
He's like,
he's like a silent movie star
or something.
He's just so,
so funny
and he's,
he's unbreakable.
We can throw him
and dress him up.
No, he is.
No, no, no, no, no.
He is.
I want to bring out
a little Warwick doll.
Uh-huh.
He's great.
Yeah.
He's great.
Now,
I'm so curious
about your life
in London.
I know you have
a flat
here in the United States.
Yeah.
but I want to know more.
Why?
I'm fascinated by it.
Like,
like,
I would like to have
a suite of rooms
at the Savoy.
Do you have a suite
of rooms at the Savoy?
I don't,
but I mean,
I could,
I could sort you out
with one.
Would that be a good move
for me?
What,
to live there?
Well,
no,
just to have,
so people say,
oh,
where's Dave?
He's at his rooms
at the Savoy in London.
Yeah,
that'd be nice.
Yeah.
Or you could probably,
you know,
I could probably
pull a few strings.
You'd probably get a room
at the palace
if they're not using it.
It's a palace.
Yeah.
No,
now that's,
that's too much.
That's tacky.
Really?
That's tacky.
Now,
for example,
you've given up,
haven't you?
Yeah.
I have given up.
Would you and your,
your friend,
Stephen,
come to the grill room
at the Savoy
and we'd have lunch?
Yeah,
we could have a grill.
Yeah?
Yeah.
What would you have?
A little pork chop
and a sausage?
I don't know,
whatever the special,
the,
or the,
what do you call it?
The,
you know,
the taste,
the tasteless white fish
that everybody gets there.
The,
What's that?
Uh,
you know,
it's the broiled,
the broiled.
I can't even cut all this.
I mean,
what would he be tweeting
if he weren't here?
It's like,
you know,
what's he gonna be like
in a couple of years?
It's a glimpse
into the future.
Because the last part of it
usually is faster.
Dover soul.
Dover soul.
There you go.
What,
what,
Grandad?
Dover soul.
I know.
Sad but true.
So,
the three of us
would be there.
You two together.
It's like one floor
of the cuckoo's nest.
I just watched it.
I love that guy.
I love it.
He's great.
I love him.
I like his fight.
It's like a little testicle.
No.
I love him.
Who cares?
Who cares?
This shouldn't even be on the air.
It doesn't matter.
Now,
the other thing
we want to mention,
another TV show,
An Idiot Broad 2,
the bucket list.
Yes,
Idiot Broad 2.
With your friend Carl.
Amazing.
Amazing.
That starts,
that starts next week
on Science Channel.
I worry about him.
I worry about his family.
Why?
Do they,
do they mind him
being exploited that way?
He's not being exploited,
is he?
He's just,
he's,
no,
what we did,
we sent him around the world
to see the-
Well, you lied to him.
Yep.
Well,
we had to lie to him
because he hated
the first one so much,
but the TV show was good.
It's my gift to the world.
I see.
He's one of these people
that just sees life differently.
So this time,
we said he could choose
from the bucket list
things to do before you die.
That's a great idea.
He didn't understand it.
He said,
he said,
why would you want
to swim with dolphins
if you're dying?
I went,
no,
it's not a thing to do
immediately before you die.
Get him to the dolphin tank.
Exactly, yeah.
He said,
and he went,
he said,
it's nothing to do with dolphins.
He said,
they just want to go
to the Bahamas
for a free trip.
He said,
if you said there's a dolphin
in the Thames,
they'd go,
they wouldn't get in.
No,
wouldn't get in the Thames.
Of course not.
And we sent him
to swim with dolphins,
but when he got there,
we'd swapped them for sharks.
Yeah.
It's hilarious.
Life's Too Short
has already been seen
on BBC Two,
is that correct?
Yeah,
it's gone up in England.
Big hit in England,
was it?
Yeah,
and hopefully it'll be
a big hit for HBO.
You can see it right here
beginning January,
I'm sorry,
February 19th on HBO,
and An Idiot Abroad
premieres January 21st
on the Science Channel.
Man,
you are everywhere.
Ricky Gervais.
Thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen,
nice job.
Ricky Gervais.
Thank you very much.

Ricky Gervais Is Over The Golden Globes | Letterman

Our first guest, well, here's a funny guy,
and it's not a minute too soon, by the way.
A good friend of ours, he has a new HBO comedy series
entitled Life's Too Short, premieres February 19th.
Ladies and gentlemen, it's Ricky Gervais.
Nice to see you, Ricky.
Hello. How are you?
Good. Well, you've been a very busy fellow.
You were hosting the Golden Globe Sunday night in California.
And now here you are, Tuesday, back in New York City.
Thank you very much for coming back in time to be on the show.
I appreciate that.
I was getting out of town quick anyway.
Really?
Yeah.
This is your third time hosting that show?
Third time doing that and that, yeah.
21st doing this.
Is that right?
I know that means nothing to you.
No, it means a great deal to me.
It means more to me than you hosting the Golden Globes three times.
I don't know what it means to you, but for me, I'm honored.
Yeah, well.
Are you done hosting the Golden Globes?
Yeah, I think so for now.
I did it the first time because I was sort of quite flat,
and it's a huge global audience for a comedian,
and I like writing gags.
That's what I do.
I did it a second time because I thought I could improve on the first,
and I wasn't going to do it a third,
but then lots of people were saying he'd never be invited back,
so I did it to annoy them.
Just to show them.
Yeah.
Good for you.
Yeah.
And of the three, how do you rate them?
One, two, and three.
Put them on the podium.
How do you rate them?
This was my favorite because I think the audience was more receptive.
I think it took them the first two to sort of get me.
Right.
I think the last time, I just thought,
why is he saying such horrible things?
Yes, yeah.
But I think this time, they sort of understood.
They were just gags, you know?
Or they checked them at security
and checked if they got a sense of humor to get in.
I don't know, but, you know,
last year, they had a right stick up there.
Maybe they had it removed.
I don't know.
But it was great, and it was fun,
and, you know, lovely,
but I think three times is enough for anyone.
Because, I mean, of the many things you do,
hosting award shows is probably not what you'll be remembered for.
It's not my do, either.
I mean, I do that like some people play golf.
It's not part of, you know, my thing.
And win, lose, or draw, you know,
the next day, I'm writing something.
That's the fun for me, writing and creating TV shows.
But it was, you know, it was just such good fun, you know?
Well, I liked it the year before when people were outraged.
Yeah, of course.
People, they were stunned.
They couldn't believe that a guy had the courage
and the brainpower to stand up in front of famous people
and make jokes about them.
I know.
Oh, my God!
I know.
Like, it was...
Who the...
It wasn't a room full of wounded soldiers.
They were people who pretend to be someone else for a living.
You know, it was no...
Exactly.
Also, you can't care what people think,
whether they're offended or not,
because anything you say,
someone somewhere will be offended.
Oh, yeah.
And you, you know...
Yeah.
And just because you're offended doesn't mean you're right.
So, you know, who cares?
We had a woman...
We still do have a woman,
depending on what security did with her.
But we have a...
In the audience,
who had a series of questions
about your behavior on the Golden Globes.
Okay.
The references were golf,
you playing golf,
and your penis.
Does that...
Does that ring a bell?
What?
Does what ring a bell?
Yeah.
It's a good party trick.
Get me a bell,
and I'll do my best.
It is a good party trick.
There's no...
Oh, that's just Ricky.
It's got the bell out.
No hands.
No hands.
So, she's suggesting
that there was something omitted
from her version
that she didn't quite...
It did not add up.
I did say, um...
I said, uh...
The list of rules they gave me,
and I said,
no profanity, that's fine.
I've got a huge vocabulary.
And then I said,
no nudity.
Oh, that's a shame,
because I've got a huge vocabulary.
But then I...
Then I slipped in,
but a tiny penis.
Oh.
So, I did say penis.
I've said it three times tonight.
I mean, I don't know what the rules are,
but, you know...
No, no, no.
I'm the one who started it.
I don't...
Yeah, you said it.
But I thought she said something about golf.
Did you say anything about golf?
I didn't say anything about golf.
Okay, well, then...
Then, well, get her out of here, then.
But anyway, yeah, that was that,
and I got out of town,
and that's great.
Did you get drunk during the show?
Or so, you're drinking?
Yeah, slowly, gradually, yeah.
What were you drinking?
I was drinking lager.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, yeah.
And in distilled spirits,
what's your preference?
I like whiskey,
but when I'm working...
Well, see,
I only drink beer when I'm working,
like it's a soft drink.
Is that...
Remember that, kids.
That sounds...
I'm not a chauffeur,
so I can drink at work.
That's the good thing about being a comedian.
You know what?
I watched two of these shows,
The Life's Too Short.
Oh, right.
I thought they were tremendously funny.
Oh, thank you.
Cheers.
I can highlight things
that I would like to talk to you about.
One was the scene with Liam Neeson.
Very funny.
Amazing.
And then, the star,
he hires an assistant.
The young woman's name
who plays his assistant,
what's her name?
Her real name, or in the...
You pick.
Her real name's Rosamund Hanson,
and in the show, it's Cheryl.
Yeah.
And she's...
Very funny.
She's very...
She's not very bright.
No.
And he only hires her
because she's cheap,
because her parents want her
to get out of the house
till six every night.
That's right.
So, it's the worst assistant
you can have, but...
But what it did,
it gave me...
There's several scenes
with you and Stephen Merchant
in an office,
and I think it's probably
really what your life is like
in London.
It's a beautiful sort of spare,
lean, very modern,
clean space
in which you and Stephen Merchant
create.
Is that how it works?
That's exactly right.
And the joke in this show
is that we're still bothered
by everyone we've ever
worked with coming in
and saying...
Because we play ourselves
and saying,
you need more office,
you need more extras.
So, it's like,
we're trying to get on
with stuff, but we're,
you know...
And Warwick comes to us
who was in extras
and who's three foot six.
He's a dwarf.
He is a dwarf.
I think there's 300
types of dwarfism.
Is this on television,
this show?
If you...
Do you have a nickel on you?
Yes, I do.
It's...
What I like about
when I, like The Extras,
when I watched your show,
The Extras,
and then there was
the second season
of The Extras,
and now this show
and, of course,
The Office.
But in this one
in particular,
the language of the script,
the written word,
is so reminiscent
to my ear
of The Office
is what I find
very satisfying about this.
Is that just because
you are The Office
or is that something
you were trying to do?
Well, I suppose,
you know,
you return to the same themes.
It's a fake documentary
like The Office,
but I think it's moved on.
I think if The Office
reflected those
sort of quaint docu-soaps
of normal people
being famous
like David Brent,
this is more up-to-date
where people live their life
like an open wound.
You know,
those documentaries,
they just let them
do anything.
So I think it's the same
but different.
I mean, that's, yeah.
It's very funny,
as I mentioned,
and the guy,
the star,
he's broke,
his wife has divorced him
and he's gotten to work.
Exactly,
and he really is
a film star.
He was in films
like Return of the Jedi
and Willow and that,
but the joke is
that no one recognizes him
because his face
was always covered.
He's always been made up.
Exactly, yeah.
So he's trying to get back
and he's trying to do so.
So it's very funny.
He's such a physical career.
He's got such humanity.
He's just funny.
So we had to make him
like a little Hitler.
So you have to really,
to bring out the,
you know, the pain.
You made him
like a little Hitler.
Well, we,
he's sort of manipulative
and he's nasty
and he exploits other dwarfs.
He runs an agency
and he takes all the best jobs
for himself
and he hires them out
to be fired from cannons
and stuff.
So it's,
but it's,
it's about exploitation
and, you know,
of little people and stuff.
But he's,
he's very,
very facile
with the,
with the written word.
Very, you know,
he's very funny
delivering the material.
He's like,
he's like a silent movie star
or something.
He's just so,
so funny
and he's,
he's unbreakable.
We can throw him
and dress him up.
No, he is.
No, no, no, no, no.
He is.
I want to bring out
a little Warwick doll.
Uh-huh.
He's great.
Yeah.
He's great.
Now,
I'm so curious
about your life
in London.
I know you have
a flat
here in the United States.
Yeah.
but I want to know more.
Why?
I'm fascinated by it.
Like,
like,
I would like to have
a suite of rooms
at the Savoy.
Do you have a suite
of rooms at the Savoy?
I don't,
but I mean,
I could,
I could sort you out
with one.
Would that be a good move
for me?
What,
to live there?
Well,
no,
just to have,
so people say,
oh,
where's Dave?
He's at his rooms
at the Savoy in London.
Yeah,
that'd be nice.
Yeah.
Or you could probably,
you know,
I could probably
pull a few strings.
You'd probably get a room
at the palace
if they're not using it.
It's a palace.
Yeah.
No,
now that's,
that's too much.
That's tacky.
Really?
That's tacky.
Now,
for example,
you've given up,
haven't you?
Yeah.
I have given up.
Would you and your,
your friend,
Stephen,
come to the grill room
at the Savoy
and we'd have lunch?
Yeah,
we could have a grill.
Yeah?
Yeah.
What would you have?
A little pork chop
and a sausage?
I don't know,
whatever the special,
the,
or the,
what do you call it?
The,
you know,
the taste,
the tasteless white fish
that everybody gets there.
The,
What's that?
Uh,
you know,
it's the broiled,
the broiled.
I can't even cut all this.
I mean,
what would he be tweeting
if he weren't here?
It's like,
you know,
what's he gonna be like
in a couple of years?
It's a glimpse
into the future.
Because the last part of it
usually is faster.
Dover soul.
Dover soul.
There you go.
What,
what,
Grandad?
Dover soul.
I know.
Sad but true.
So,
the three of us
would be there.
You two together.
It's like one floor
of the cuckoo's nest.
I just watched it.
I love that guy.
I love it.
He's great.
I love him.
I like his fight.
It's like a little testicle.
No.
I love him.
Who cares?
Who cares?
This shouldn't even be on the air.
It doesn't matter.
Now,
the other thing
we want to mention,
another TV show,
An Idiot Broad 2,
the bucket list.
Yes,
Idiot Broad 2.
With your friend Carl.
Amazing.
Amazing.
That starts,
that starts next week
on Science Channel.
I worry about him.
I worry about his family.
Why?
Do they,
do they mind him
being exploited that way?
He's not being exploited,
is he?
He's just,
he's,
no,
what we did,
we sent him around the world
to see the-
Well, you lied to him.
Yep.
Well,
we had to lie to him
because he hated
the first one so much,
but the TV show was good.
It's my gift to the world.
I see.
He's one of these people
that just sees life differently.
So this time,
we said he could choose
from the bucket list
things to do before you die.
That's a great idea.
He didn't understand it.
He said,
he said,
why would you want
to swim with dolphins
if you're dying?
I went,
no,
it's not a thing to do
immediately before you die.
Get him to the dolphin tank.
Exactly, yeah.
He said,
and he went,
he said,
it's nothing to do with dolphins.
He said,
they just want to go
to the Bahamas
for a free trip.
He said,
if you said there's a dolphin
in the Thames,
they'd go,
they wouldn't get in.
No,
wouldn't get in the Thames.
Of course not.
And we sent him
to swim with dolphins,
but when he got there,
we'd swapped them for sharks.
Yeah.
It's hilarious.
Life's Too Short
has already been seen
on BBC Two,
is that correct?
Yeah,
it's gone up in England.
Big hit in England,
was it?
Yeah,
and hopefully it'll be
a big hit for HBO.
You can see it right here
beginning January,
I'm sorry,
February 19